Feedeick c



P. 0. PEIGKER.

FORK GUARD.

(No Model.)

Patented Apr. 10, 1888.

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* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDBIOK O. FEIOKER, OF NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE NORTHAMPTON OUTLERY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FORK-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 380.793, dated April 10 1888.

Application filed December 29, 1887. Serial No. 259,290.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDRIOK O. F roK R, a citizen of the United States, residing at Northampton, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fork-Guards,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of forks which are provided at their shanks with pivoted guards or support-frames, and particularly to means applied thereto whereby the guards will be maintained either in opened or closed positions under spring-pressure; and the invention consists in the construction and combination of the various parts, all substantially as will be hereinafter more fully described, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is aperspective view of a carvingfork having the guard applied thereto, the same being shown as in its opened or supporting position. Fig. 2 is a side view of same with the guard closed, some parts being broken away and in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan and partial horizontal section on linexw, Fig. 2, of the shank of the fork and a part of The shank A of the fork is provided with two cheek-pieces, a a. The fork-guard B, having the legs I) b at its crotch, is provided with a rectangular or other polygonal-shaped aperture, (2, through which a correspondinglypolygonal spindle, f, passes to a pivotal engagement by the pintle g with the said cheekpieces a a. The projected upper end of the said spindle is provided with a head, h, and surrounding the headed spindle is a cup or collar, 7c, open at its upper end and flanged at its lower end, as at Z, within which flange is anaperture for the free passage and movement of the spindle f. Inclosed within said cup, bearing between the upper side of its said (No model.)

flange Z and the spindle-head h, a spiral spring, j, is coiled about the spindle, as shown.

The forward edges of the cheek pieces a a, as shown, are preferably of a cam shape or eccentric contour to the pivotal point thereof, the distance from the center perpendicularly to the upper side of said cheek-pieces being less than the distance to the corner or part at thereof at the end of the inclined side a of the cheek-piece. It will therefrom be seen that in the swing of the guard from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig.1 the same is forced outwardly along its spindle against the flanged end of the cup k, forcing the cup outwardly and compressing the spring, the recoil of which insures the maintenance of the guard in its opened position and along the forward inclined side of the cheek-pieces, and the spring of course maintains also the guard in place when closed.

The rectangular formation of the spindle and of the aperture d in the guard therefor prevents any swing of. the latter on the former, the only movement thereof being the slight slide 7c of the guard longitudinally on the spindle.

WVhat I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination, with the fork-shank having the cheek-pieces a and the fork-guard provided with an aperture, of a headed spindle pivotally hung in said cheek-pieces, the flanged cup 75, and the spiral spring between said cup-flange and the spindle-head, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with the fork-shank 83 having the cam-shaped cheek-pieces a a and the fork-guard provided with a polygonal aperture, d, of a headed spindle, f, of polygonal cross-section, pivotally hung in said cheekpieces, the flanged cup 70, and the spiral spring 85 j, between said cup-flange and the spindlehead, substantially as and for the purpose described.

FREDRIGK G. FEIOKER. Witnesses:

WM. L. BELLows, -H. A. CHAPIN. 

